Arsenal get the job done against West Brom as they continue to rebuild after last season's tumult

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The last time Arsenal faced West Brom, on a dreary, typically English day in the West Midlands, the club was caught in the throes of a civil war.

As the north Londoners ran out another damaging defeat, losing 3-1 at the hands of Tony Pulis’ men, budget banner-flying planes soared above carrying signs of support for and condemnation of Arsene Wenger. It was a visible manifestation of the turmoil that threatened to bring the club to its knees and marked a low point in Wenger’s career.

Six months on and calls for Wenger’s head have subsided - but there was no doubt that a disappointing result against West Brom tonight would have seen the Frenchman’s critics sharpening their knives in anticipation of another witch hunt. It was vital that Arsenal won, which they did, beating their opponents 2-0 courtesy of an Alexandre Lacazette brace, but the significance of the result lay not just in the three points accrued but in the momentum it added to.

Hector Bellerin, very much an embodiment of Arsenal Football Club with his flashes of brilliance offset by periods of mediocrity, had said before the game that his side needed to build upon their recent results.

"We have to go game by game,” he said after the encouraging draw at Chelsea. “We have to keep working hard and keep getting these results now."

After back-to-back defeats against Stoke City and Liverpool, in which they failed to score, Arsenal have now won four of their last five games across all competitions. It’s nothing to write home about but it’s progress nonetheless.

With a run of fixtures across the next two months that makes for welcome reading - Brighton, Watford, Everton, Swansea, before travelling to Manchester City on November 5 - Arsenal have established a firm foundation upon which to move forward into the depths of winter.

It was far from plain-sailing tonight, though. In all truth, this was a game which could have made for very different reading. The visitors should have arguably been handed a penalty in the 8th minute after Jay Rodriguez was chopped down by a reckless Shodkdran Mustafi challenge, the Englishman having burst forward into the Arsenal box following a blistering surge of pace down the left flank. It took Petr Cech’s fingertips to deny the curling shot that followed.

Pulis’ side came agonisingly close 12 minutes later. After enjoying more success down the left, the Baggies were denied an equaliser after Rodriguez’s close range header was cleared off the line by an airborne Nacho Monreal. Arsenal may have held on but West Brom’s counter attack certainly proved a handful and kept the home defence on its toes.

Wenger’s men had the chance to punish West Brom for their profligacy after the restart, enjoying a passage of play that saw them spurn a number of chances. A greater, more ruthless side, such as the Manchester Citys and Chelseas of this league, would have capitalised on such moments - and that’s why they’ve set the pace for this season’s title race.

Indeed, if Arsenal wish to be taken seriously as contenders for the crown, it’s game like these where the side must stamp their unequivocal authority on the match and seal the deal with a rousing victory.

That was hardly the case this evening. Back in the starting XI after starting on the bench for the battle of the Bridge, Alexis Sanchez was very much the chugging engine to this Arsenal team, providing it with that extra thrust to break down the visitors and set things in motion. Without him, it’s interesting to see how his teammates would have done.

But in the end, Wenger’s men got the job done, with Lacazette’s composed penalty wrapping up proceedings. In all, it was another step forward - but where exactly Arsenal are heading remains unclear for now.